Chicken & Rabbit Problems
Two kinds of things, one total count, one total of legs or wheels or sticks — pretend they are all one kind, then swap to fix. Try each problem first, then watch the trick.
1 Explore — try these first
Try before you watch. Pick a level below and give the problem an honest try on paper first — wrong turns and all. Then open the video to see the trick. Every level rides one habit: When a counted total mixes two kinds, pretend everything is the same kind, see how far off you are, and swap one kind for the other until the count of legs (or wheels, or sticks, or points) matches.
L0 · Pretend Method
Nori is feeding the chickens and rabbits at a rescue farm. There are 5 animals altogether. Counting their legs, there are 14. How many rabbits live at the farm?
L1 · Pretend Method (reapplied)
Devon is at a community repair day, fixing bikes and trikes to donate. There are 12 vehicles altogether. They have 28 wheels in total. How many tricycles did Devon fix?
L2 · Pretend Method (larger gap)
Asha is at a Saturday craft workshop. The kids are gluing sticks into shapes. Triangles have 3 sticks. Hexagons have 6 sticks. They built 15 shapes altogether. Counting all the sticks, there are 75. How many hexagons did the kids build?
L3 · Trim, Then Pretend
Mira is weaving friendship bracelets for a children's hospital. Small bracelets use 2 beads. Large bracelets use 7 beads. There are 6 more large bracelets than small. Counting all the beads, there are 78. How many small bracelets did Mira weave?
L4 · Ratio Block
Riya is packing gift baskets for elderly residents at a retirement home. Regular baskets hold 3 items each. Big baskets hold 5 items each. Riya packs twice as many big baskets as regular ones. Counting all the items, there are 78. How many regular baskets did Riya pack?
L5 · Signed Pretend
Sora is taking a school math quiz. Each correct answer earns 5 points. Each wrong answer loses 2 points. Sora answered all 30 questions and scored 80 points. How many did Sora get right?
2 Learn — watch the solutions
Gave each one a real try? Now watch the trick. (Stuck is fine — that's the point.)
L0 · The Pretend Trick
Peek the trick — The Pretend Trick
Pretend every animal is the kind with fewer legs, then count how many legs are missing. Each rabbit you swap in adds the gap, so the missing legs tell you the rabbits.
L1 · Pretend on Wheels
Peek the trick — Pretend on Wheels
The same Pretend Trick, now with bikes and trikes. A trike has just one more wheel than a bike, so each swap adds only 1 wheel.
L2 · Pretend with Sticks
Peek the trick — Pretend with Sticks
The same Pretend Trick with bigger numbers. A hexagon needs 3 more sticks than a triangle, so each swap adds 3 sticks.
L3 · The Trim Trick
Peek the trick — The Trim Trick
When the clue is "K more of one kind" instead of a total count, set those K extras aside (with their cost), subtract that from the total, then the Pretend Trick finishes the matched pairs.
L4 · The Block Trick
Peek the trick — The Block Trick
When the clue is a ratio instead of a count, build one block that matches the ratio, count the items in that block, then divide the total by the block cost to find how many blocks.
L5 · The Penalty Trick
Peek the trick — The Penalty Trick
The same Pretend Trick when one value is negative. Pretend every answer is wrong (a negative score), then each swap to a correct answer is worth the right value plus the penalty.
3 Master — practice on your own
Print the practice sheet and solve without the videos. Check your answers at the back — if one is wrong, the answer key names the trick so you know exactly which video to rewatch.
Download fresh practice problems PDF
